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Thursday, January 10, 2013

Common Pochard

Yesterday I made the trip to Lake Champlain with neighbor Richard Foye. Just offshore from the Dock Street Campground in Port Henry, NY, the Common Pochard was with a tight group of Ring-necked Ducks, Mallards, American Black Ducks, and three Redheads.

The Common Pochard has been photographed (not by me) with a leg band, and there has been list serve discussion as to whether it is wild, or an escapee. Whatever the outcome of the discussion (debate?), yesterday was a day of good birding, with thousands of waterfowl in the open waters of Champlain, beautiful views of Ring-necks and Redheads, and an usual bird that we ought to feel sorry for. Whatever the origin of the Pochard, it is unlikely to fulfill its function in life: keeping its presence in the pochard gene pool alive.

Light and distance made photography difficult, but I did manage a few documentary images ...

Common Pochard

Common Pochard and Redhead

Common Pochard, Redheads, American Black Duck, Mallard

Common Pochard, Ring-necked Ducks, Redhead

Common Pochard with Redheads

Addison County in Vermont, and the southern Champlain Valley, is a great place for winter raptor viewing. We saw 4 Bald Eagles on the edge of the lake ice, a Peregrine Falcon, 2 American Kestrels, and 6 Rough-legged Hawks. The latter provided (sort of) photo ops ...

Rough-legged Hawk

Rough-legged Hawk

The farms in Addison County also hosted many flocks of Horned Lark, Snow Bunting, and a few Lapland Longspurs. I post photos in a few days. Come back soon for soon.